Main Line Teen Brightening Seniors' Spirits Amid Coronavirus
MAIN LINE, PA — A Main Line teenager whose non-profit group brightens spirits of kids and seniors in hospitals is shifting her focus to help the elderly during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Hita Gupta, a 15-year-old sophomore at Conestoga High School, is the founder of Brighten A Day.
Brighten A Day is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that aims to lift the spirits of those who are in need of some cheer by sending them love, hope, and joy through cards and gifts.
To date, Gupta's nonprofit has reached more than 2,000 kids and seniors in 35 hospitals and nursing homes in seven different states with handmade cards on holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
Now, Brighten A Day is focused on helping the elderly during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
One of the very first and biggest outbreaks of coronavirus in the United States started in a Washington nursing home. Seniors are more susceptible to the virus and also show more severe symptoms. According to the CDC, eight in 10 deaths due to the coronavirus reported in the U.S. have been in adults 65 years old and older.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, nursing homes throughout the United States — including the one where Gupta volunteers — are being closed off to visitors. Many residents are experiencing boredom, loneliness, isolation, and anxiety as they are unable to meet family or friends.
"I’ve been volunteering at a retirement home since freshman year, and my experiences with the residents there have been so fulfilling," Gupta said. "It saddens me to think of how lonely or depressed many residents feel because they cannot see their loved ones. I have realized that during this uncertain time which is causing panic for many seniors, it’s our responsibility to give back to them. That is why I recently started a fundraiser to help local nursing home residents during this pandemic."
To support this new project, Gupta has launched a GoFundMe campaign and is also accepting donations through PayPal. Donations can be made through PayPal here.
As of Tuesday, the campaign has raised $265 of its $5,000 goal.
Donations are tax-deductible and will be used to buy games for residents at nursing homes where there is not enough money to buy these resources.
If you cannot make a donation, you are encouraged to send a card to seniors. See details on sending cards here.
"Before this, all of my projects have been self-funded, but I am looking for some more support on this fundraiser so that I can cheer up more seniors," she said. "If I raise more money, I will be able to help many more nursing home residents from feeling lonely or isolated while they are unable to see loved ones. "
Using self-funding and donations, Brighten A Day has sent packs of gifts for residents at four local nursing homes: Sunrise of Paoli, Wayne Center, The Devon Senior Living, Green Meadows Nursing Center.
If more funds are raised, Brighten A Day will reach more retirement homes in the area.
Each pack contained one activity book, one coloring book, one handwritten note, and one pack of colored pencils/crayons.
This article originally appeared on the Bryn Mawr-Gladwyne Patch
